Dispersal of Seeds

Mostly seeds are collected for sowing. But they are also spread disorderly in nature. We call it the seed dispersal.

Seeds are dispersed in many ways. Some of the following ways seeds are dispersed to different places:

(i) Some plants like, coconut grow near sea, lake or river. Their fruits are covered with fiber and the fibers are over-coated. Thus they float in water. When these fruits fall into water, they begin to float and are carried away to different places.

(ii) Some seeds, like cotton seeds are light in weight. They are blown away from one place to another by wind. Some seeds have hair-like structure. The hair helps the seeds to fly over long distances. Milkweed and dandelion seeds have hair. Some seeds like maple having wings which help them to fly. Such seeds are dispersed by air.

(iii) Some fruits burst when over ripped. Their seeds are spread over a large area. These seeds are carried away by wind or water to different places.

(iv) Some seeds are indigestible, so bird and animals pass out these seeds in their droppings thereby dispersing them to different places.

(v) Some seeds like gokhru, dhatura, etc. have hooks and spikes. Such seeds stick to the body of animals or clothing of human beings and are then carried away to different places.